Means and method for producing stepped concrete slope structures

ABSTRACT

Container means, and method utilizing same for forming a matlike protective cover of hardenable, cementitious material on a sloping surface of an earth situs, for example. Container means includes rectangular sheet-like flexible web which is spread flatwise on surface to be protected, and series of transversely extending porous fabric containers of loop-shaped cross-section which are connected to the web along laterally spaced, generally parallel lines. Fluid cementitious material pumped into containers in succession, so that adjacent containers overlap one upon another. Upon hardening, cementitious material which oozes through porous bag walls tends to bond the contacting walls together, thereby to provide an integrated mat-like protective cover of generally uniform, effective thickness.

United States Patent [151 Turzillo Lee A. Turzillo, PO. Box 155, Bath, Ohio [22] Filed:, Dec. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 208,267

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 61/37, 61/38 [51] Int. Cl E02d 17/20 [58] Field of Search 61/36 R, 38, 37

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,570,254 3/1971 Turzillo 61/38 3,518,834 7/1970 Gnaedinger.... 61/36 R 752,637 2/1904 Mankedick 61/38 3,234,741 2/1966 Ionides 61/38 3,425,228 2/1969 Lamberton 61/38 3,524,320 8/1970 Turzillo 61/41 R 1,421,857 Store 61/46 Jan. 22, 1974 Primary Examiner-Mervin Stein Assistant Examiner-Alex Grosz Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William Cleland 5 7 ABSTRACT Container means, and method utilizing same for forming a mat-like protective cover of hardenable, cementitious material on a sloping surface of an earth situs,

for example. Container means includes rectangular sheet-like flexible web which is spread flatwise on surface to be protected, and series of transversely extending porous fabric containers of loop-shaped crosssection which are connected to the web along laterally spaced, generally parallel lines. Fluid cementitious material pumped into containers in succession, so that adjacent containers overlap one upon another. Upon hardening, cementitious material which oozes through porous bag walls tends to bond the contacting walls together, thereby to provide an integrated mat-like protective cover of generally uniform, effective thickness.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3.786.640

SHEET 2 BF 2 MEANS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING STEPPED CONCRETE SLOPE STRUCTURES BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Prior Lee A. Turzillo US. Pat. No. Re.25,6l4 discloses a basic concept of pumping fluid hydraulic cement mortar into porous fabric bags placed against an earth or other surface in situ. The subject matter of Lee A. Turzillo US. Pat. No. 3,524,320 exemplifies use of such porous bag means in mat-like form for protecting an area of an earth situs against scour, by injection of pressurized fluid mortar into a flexible fabric bag laid flatwise over a said area to expand opposing walls of the bag, while simultaneously limiting expansion beyond a predetermined thickness of the expanded bag. In use of any such mat-like bags which are of substantial broad lateral area for slope coverage, however, considerable care was required in pumping the fluid mortar into the bags to maintain uniform thickness thereof, taking into consideration the problem of the tendency for the mortar to gravitate toward lowermost ends of the bags. Where superposed walls of the bags were drawn together at a multiplicity of spaced points the finished concrete slab or mat was not of uniform thickness throughout, and cracking of the finished concrete structure sometimes occurred in resultantly weakened areas. Known types of such mat-like bags of large sizes were sometimes bulky and difficult to install at the situs.

SIJNINIXIW 61': INVENTION rHepre ain5162555;esatlaaai 'ebbaaanai rovision of a base member or web of flexible sheetmaterial, adapted to cover a large area of a situs to be protected against scour, in combination with a series of laterally spaced, closed looped-shaped containers of porous fabric, each anchored to the base member along parallel lines. The spacing of the parallel lines, in reference to the transverse cross-sections of the respective containers, may be relatively narrow so that adjacent containers, upon being successively pumped full of fluid, self-hardenable cementitious material, will overlap one upon another. Pumping may be continued in controlled manner until fluid mortar oozes through the pores of adjacent container walls to create, upon hardening of the mortar, an effective bond between adjacent said bag members. The resultant structure is a solid sturdy concrete protective mat of substantially uniform, overall effective thickness.

For facilitating the operation of successively pumping fluid material into the spaced containers, one or more transversely extending passages may be provided in the base member for reception of a nozzle which is connected to a supply line from a source of the fluid material, such passages being in communication with the interior of the respective containers through suitable inlet means. With controlled, progressive withdrawal of the nozzle, successive containers are filled with the cementitious material and allowed to harden, as described above.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved preformed form for covering inclined slopes at a situs with a concrete protective cover of generally uniform thickness, or of varying thicknesses, as required at the situs.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved porous bag method for protecting a slope against scour, by which the shape of the bag means can be Varied for (of the method) efficient use at the situs, with resultant savings in labor and other costs.

Other objects of the invention will be manifested from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sloping earth surface with a segmented, concrete slope-protecting mat of the invention installed thereon to have mat segments thereof firmly bonded to each other.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and is between a pair of passage means 16.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary crosssection corresponding generally to FIG. 2, but illustrating portions of connecting mat-segments or bag members prior to filling the same with fluid cement mortar.

of a fluid supply nozzle inserted within the passage means.

FIG. 6 is a diagramatic cross-sectional view, on a reduced scale, taken substantially on said line 5-5 of FIG. 4, to illustrate the proportionate spacing of the lines of attachment of the transversely spaced mat segments in reference to the peripheral girths of the mat segments transversely thereof, depending upon the required thickness of the finished protective mat.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2, but taken along a passage means 16, and showing a method of supplying fluid cement mortar to the bag members.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a formed and hardened concrete cover or mat l0, constructed by the method of the invention upon a sloping area of an earth surface E, and with use of the porous fabric form 11 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6.

The form 11, as exemplified in FIGS. 3 to 6, may comprise a rectangular base member or web 12 of porous fabric adapted to cover a broad lateral area of the surface E, and a larger sheet 13 of porous fabric sewed or otherwiseattached to web 12 in a manner to form a plurality of parallel, elongated closed-loop containers or mat segments 14, 14. In other words, the mat segments 14 are attached to the web along transversely spaced parallel lines indicated at 15 in FIGS. 1 to 6. For purposes to be described later, the spaces between said parallel lines 15 are proportionately narrow in reference to the maximum girths of the respective loops l4, transversely of the same, so that the eventually expanded loops will cover said spaces, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, the sheet 13 may be appropriately looped and sewed or otherwise attached to the web 12 to provide one or more transversely extending passages 16 which open from the right band edge of the web (See FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6) for inward projection of an elongated nozzle, or nozzles 17, connected to a source of supply (not shown) of self-hardenable cementitious material, such as fluid hydraulic cement mortar. In addition, each passage 16 may be so formed by appropriately sewed stitches to provide apertures 18, 18 therefrom to the interior of each closed loop mat segment 14, as best shown in FIG. 5 and as indicated in FIG. 6. For example, the web 12 is laid out and sheet 14 is placed thereover and looped or folded to provide the plurality of transversely spaced, laterally coextensive bag members 14, and the looped fabric of sheet 13 is then stitched to web 12 along lines of attachment 15, with the stitching interrupted at preselected locations along the lines of attachment 15 to leave openings or apertures 18 into the hollow, looped bag members. The interruptions in adjacent lines of attachment also results in the formation of passage means 16 extending along the length of the form 1 1 between the web 12 and sheet 13 and in communication with the apertures 18 to the bag members.

The arrangement described is such that the method of the invention may be started with the nozzles 17 fully inserted in the positioned form 10, as shown in FIG. 5, after which the fluid cement mortar may be pumped, initially into the outermost looped segment 14 until it is fully inflated or distended. The nozzle or nozzles then may be withdrawn by predetermined incremental extents, likewise to pump fluid mortar through the apertures 18 into each successive loop segment 14, so that they will overlie and contact each previously inflated loop segment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Moreover, the thickness of the formed mat 10, or portions thereof, can be predetermined by controlling the shapes of the respective looped bag members or segments 14 while pumping the fluid mortar into the same.

A representative variation in the shape of the bag members is shown in phantom line at in FIG. 2, and is accomplished, for example, by appropriately shaping the endmost bag member while it is being filled. Subsequent bag members then assume the shape of the first bag member.

In so pumping the fluid cement mortar into the respective loop segments 14, until the water-cement ratio of the fluid mortar is lowered to an appropriate degree which is capable of being visually observed by a relatively small proportion of mortar being exuded through the pores of the fabric walls. Reduction of the water content correspondingly facilitates the concrete hardening process. Where a fabric wall of a loop segment engages an opposing surface, a very good adhesive bonding effect is attained. For this reason the contacting walls of adjacent loop segments 14 will be tena-- ceously bonded to each other through amalgamation and hardening of the oozed out grout from the pores of the contacting fabric walls.

The aforesaid bonding effect is particularly effective where the oozed-out mortar is not exposed to external water of the situs, tending to dilute the oozed-out mortar mix, or to wash the oozed mortar away before it has an opportunity to set and harden.

In use of the improved loop type form of FIGS. 4 to 6, for the method described above, it is possible accurately to predetermine the size and proportions of the form necessary to produce a slope protecting cement mat of proper thickness, with a minimum of guesswork at the situs, and with resultant savings in labor costs in performing the work at the situs.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A flexible, porous, body-shaping form for producing a segmental protective cover of self-hardenable fluid material on a sloping or other surface of a situs, as for protection thereof against scour, comprising: a relatively large, substantially flat base member of flexible sheet material adapted to cover a broad lateral area of the surface to be protected, and a series of spaced, parallel, laterally elongated, hollow, generally porouswalled bag members of flexible sheet material fixed along a bottom portion thereof to said base member along spaced, laterally co-extending lines of attachment, each said bag member being of loop-shaped transverse cross-section; means defining substantially transversely extending fluid flow passage means on the base member, aperture means in said bottom portion of each bag member in communication with said passage means, so that self-hardenable, fluid material can be supplied through said passage means and aperture means to said bag members individually and progressively to distend the walls of said bag members outwardly and fill the bag members to form the protective cover, the spacing of said co-extending lines of attachment in relation to the transverse cross-sectional sizes of said bag members being such that, upon filling the bag members, the generally porous walls of adjacent bag members are distended into contact with each other, and a portion of the self-hardening fluid material passes through the porous walls of said bag members to cause a bond between adjacent, contacting areas of said bag members.

2. A mat-like cover of broad lateral extent protecting a sloping or other surface ofa situs, comprising, a flexible, porous form filled with a hardened cementitious material, said form including a base member of broad lateral area, positioned flatwise on the surface, and a plurality of transversely spaced, laterally elongated, substantially parallel, overlapping, porous fabric bag members fixed to said base member along transversely spaced, substantially parallel lines, substantially transversely extending passage means in the cover, and aperture means in the bag means communicating the passage means with the hollow interior of the bag members, said hardened cementitious material filling said bag members and passage means, the bag members having substantial areas of next adjacent walls thereof contacting each other, and said cementitious material in contacting areas of adjacent bag members bonded together through said porous walls.

3. A method of producing a mat-like cover on a slope or like surface of a situs as for protecting the same against scour; comprising the steps of mounting a flexible web of broad lateral area on the surface, providing the web with a plurality of laterally elongated, hollow, generally porous-walled bag members connected to the web, providing passage means in said web in communication with the hollow interior of said bag members, positioning the bag members in generally stepped, overlying relationship, pumping pressurized, fluid, selfhardenable cementitious material through said passage means and into said bag members in succession, thus progressively filling and distending the bag members into contacting engagement with adjacent bag members, and causing the cementitious material to ooze 5. through the porous bag members to bond adjacent, contacting bag members together.

4. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 1, wherein there is at least one passage means extending transversely on the base member, said passage means having an open end thereof opening beyond an edge of said form for reception of a fluid supply device for supplying said self-hardenable fluid material to said bag members.

5. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of said passage means.

6. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 1, wherein a large sheet of flexible material is positioned in overlying relationship to said flat base member and said sheet of flexible material is folded or looped to define said plurality of porous-walled bag members, said sheet of material attached to said base along said coextending lines of attachment and said lines of attachment interrupted at predetermined locations therealong to define said aperture means to said bag members, and also defining said passage means between said base member and said sheet of material.

7. A method, as in claim 3, wherein pressure is maintained on said fluid, self-hardenable, cementitious material in said bag members after said bag members are filled to cause said cementitious material to ooze through the porous bag members.

8. A method as in claim 3, wherein said fluid cementitious material is hydraulic cement mortar.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein said fluid cementitious material is hydraulic cement mortar. 

1. A flexible, porous, body-shaping form for producing a segmental protective cover of self-hardenable fluid material on a sloping or other surface of a situs, as for protection thereof against scour, comprising: a relatively large, substantially flat base member of flexible sheet material adapted to cover a broad lateral area of the surface to be protected, and a series of spaced, parallel, laterally elongated, hollow, generally porouswalled bag members of flexible sheet material fixed along a bottom portion thereof to said base member along spaced, laterally co-extending lines of attachment, each said bag member being of loop-shaped transVerse cross-section; means defining substantially transversely extending fluid flow passage means on the base member, aperture means in said bottom portion of each bag member in communication with said passage means, so that self-hardenable, fluid material can be supplied through said passage means and aperture means to said bag members individually and progressively to distend the walls of said bag members outwardly and fill the bag members to form the protective cover, the spacing of said co-extending lines of attachment in relation to the transverse cross-sectional sizes of said bag members being such that, upon filling the bag members, the generally porous walls of adjacent bag members are distended into contact with each other, and a portion of the self-hardening fluid material passes through the porous walls of said bag members to cause a bond between adjacent, contacting areas of said bag members.
 2. A mat-like cover of broad lateral extent protecting a sloping or other surface of a situs, comprising, a flexible, porous form filled with a hardened cementitious material, said form including a base member of broad lateral area, positioned flatwise on the surface, and a plurality of transversely spaced, laterally elongated, substantially parallel, overlapping, porous fabric bag members fixed to said base member along transversely spaced, substantially parallel lines, substantially transversely extending passage means in the cover, and aperture means in the bag means communicating the passage means with the hollow interior of the bag members, said hardened cementitious material filling said bag members and passage means, the bag members having substantial areas of next adjacent walls thereof contacting each other, and said cementitious material in contacting areas of adjacent bag members bonded together through said porous walls.
 3. A method of producing a mat-like cover on a slope or like surface of a situs as for protecting the same against scour; comprising the steps of mounting a flexible web of broad lateral area on the surface, providing the web with a plurality of laterally elongated, hollow, generally porous-walled bag members connected to the web, providing passage means in said web in communication with the hollow interior of said bag members, positioning the bag members in generally stepped, overlying relationship, pumping pressurized, fluid, self-hardenable cementitious material through said passage means and into said bag members in succession, thus progressively filling and distending the bag members into contacting engagement with adjacent bag members, and causing the cementitious material to ooze through the porous bag members to bond adjacent, contacting bag members together.
 4. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 1, wherein there is at least one passage means extending transversely on the base member, said passage means having an open end thereof opening beyond an edge of said form for reception of a fluid supply device for supplying said self-hardenable fluid material to said bag members.
 5. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of said passage means.
 6. A flexible, body-shaping form, as in claim 1, wherein a large sheet of flexible material is positioned in overlying relationship to said flat base member and said sheet of flexible material is folded or looped to define said plurality of porous-walled bag members, said sheet of material attached to said base along said co-extending lines of attachment and said lines of attachment interrupted at predetermined locations therealong to define said aperture means to said bag members, and also defining said passage means between said base member and said sheet of material.
 7. A method, as in claim 3, wherein pressure is maintained on said fluid, self-hardenable, cementitious material in said bag members after said bag members are filled to cause said cementitious material to ooze through the porous bag members.
 8. A method as in claim 3, wHerein said fluid cementitious material is hydraulic cement mortar.
 9. A method as in claim 7, wherein said fluid cementitious material is hydraulic cement mortar. 